Ponderings
by afanoflife
Summary: What does Merlin think about late at night? How do others react to his thoughts?
1. Chapter 1

**To be honest, I have no idea where this even came from. I was up late last night and couldn't sleep...and I was thinking about this...and ended up writing this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin_.**

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It was very late at night. Gaius was still up, sitting at his work table with a large book opened up in front of him. A quill was held in his hand and a piece of paper lay in front of him. He was jotting down notes, attempting to expand his already vast knowledge.

His work was progressing nicely. Pretty soon he would lay his quill down for the night and go to bed. He just wanted to finish this one chapter…

Suddenly, a door slammed, causing him to knock over the jar of ink sitting next to his hand. "Merlin!" he shouted, for he knew his young ward to be the cause of the disturbance. He looked up to see his ward standing in front of him. An excited look was plastered across his face.

"Gaius, I couldn't sleep so I was doing some thinking," Merlin said as he began to pace back and forth.

Gaius felt his eyebrow rise. Merlin thinking was not always the best thing. "I might regret asking, but what were you thinking about?"

Merlin turned around and walked right up to Gaius' work table. He placed his hands firmly on the table and looked Gaius straight in the eye. "Two words: parallel universes."

There was silence in the chambers. Gaius stared at the man in front of him, trying to comprehend what he had just been told. "…Parallel universes? What, pray tell, is a parallel universe?" Gaius questioned.

In his excitement, Merlin began pacing once again. "Think about it. We exist in this world, right? What is there to say that other worlds do not exist at the same time as our own?" Gaius chose not to respond to Merlin's question. "I'm going to call these other worlds parallel universes. To my way of thinking, it all started with one universe. However, when choices started having to be made, different universes formed, each starting a new world where a different course of action took place. Are you following me?"

At this, Merlin stopped his pacing to turn and stare at Gaius. Gaius just sat in his chair, a confused look on his face. "To be honest, no."

"Hmm…how shall I explain this? Okay, let's try this. Each universe is like a branch on a tree. There are multiple branches that are all connected to one central location. Better? Good. Now, some worlds are more similar to others. If we're going to go with the tree metaphor, some branches would be closer to the central location than others."

Gaius was still confused, but he just chose to go along with his ward's ramblings.

"For example, a world where I forgot to wash Arthur's socks would be closer to our world than a world where I didn't manage to save that prat from Lady Helen."

Merlin continued his train of thought long into the night. Finally, he let out a loud breath and said, "It's just a theory, but what do you think?"

Gaius stared at Merlin for several long minutes, trying to come up with a way to voice his opinions. Finally, he just decided to say, "You're crazy! Parallel universes? Worlds that our closer to our own than others? That's all a bunch of hogwash!"

With that, Gaius lifted himself from his chair and walked over to his bed and promptly fell asleep. Merlin was left standing in the middle of the room, a slightly hurt expression on his face.

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**I don't know if I'll add anything else to this or not...I have a couple ideas from my late night musings that could fit into this, but we will have to see.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I've decided to continue this for at least another couple of chapters. I hope anyone reading this gets at least some enjoyment out of it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Merlin**_**.**

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Arthur was tired. He had had a very busy morning. All he wanted to do was go to his chambers and take a short nap. With his plans in mind, he made his way through the many corridors of the castle. When he reached his chamber doors, he pushed them open and stared at what he saw.

Merlin was leaning against the far wall of the room. His hands and face were pressed against the stone. A look of intense concentration was plastered across his face.

Walking forward, Arthur tapped his finger on Merlin's shoulder. "Ah!" Merlin yelled as he jumped into the air. Spinning around, Merlin faced Arthur.

"Hello…" said Merlin.

Arthur stared at Merlin, crossing his arms as he did so. "Merlin, do you think you could explain to me why I came into my room only to find my manservant plastered to my wall?"

"There's a very good explanation of course. I was trying to walk through the wall," Merlin replied, completely serious.

Arthur stared at the man in front of him, beginning to seriously consider that his manservant might actually have some sort of mental affliction. "You were what?"

"I was trying to walk through the wall. You see, I believe that the only reason I can't walk through this wall is because I'm telling myself that I can't."

Arthur continued to stare at Merlin, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did so. "Merlin, you are aware that the wall is solid, right?"

"That's where you're wrong, Arthur. The wall is only solid because we say it's solid."

Becoming slightly annoyed, Arthur walked over to the wall. He brought his hand up to it and knocked on it. "The wall is solid. That's a fact. There is nothing else to it."

"Let me ask you a question. What color do you think my hair is?" Merlin asked.

"Black," Arthur replied.

"I disagree. I think my hair is dark brown," Merlin replied. "Both of us think that my hair is a different color. So does that mean that we are both wrong?"

Sighing, Arthur said, "One of us must be wrong."

"Wrong again. Both of us are right because we each perceive my hair to be a different color. That doesn't mean that we are both wrong, it just means we each have a different way of looking at something,"

"Merlin, where is this conversation even going now?"

"The point I'm trying to make is that we consider that wall to be solid only because we perceive it to be solid. We are restricting ourselves because we are not being open-minded. By opening up our minds, we are creating a limitless amount of possibilities," Merlin explained. "Imagine the time that could be saved if we didn't have to wander around trying to find doors just to enter other rooms."

After he finished his explanation, Merlin returned his attention to the wall. Pretty soon he was pressed up against it once again. Arthur went over to his table and sat down. He continued watching his manservant for a while before he finally reached a conclusion.

"You've been out drinking with Gwaine again haven't you? Only a person that has had too much to drink could possibly consider such nonsense."

"I have not been in the tavern!" Merlin exclaimed.

"Whatever you say, Merlin. Whatever you say."

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**Feel free to tell me what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I need to thank everyone who has reviewed and added this story to their list of favorites. It makes me very happy to receive those e-mails. Also, the last chapter was based off of the concept of quantum tunneling, something that is really fun to learn about. Anyway, please enjoy this next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Merlin**_**.**

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Hunith walked into her home, wiping the sweat off of her forehead as she did so. Stepping through the door, she looked around for her son. She found him sitting at the small table in the corner of their home. Walking over, she went and stood behind her son, peering over his shoulder.

Merlin was writing something on a piece of paper. She watched as he struggled to form the letters. Suddenly, she realized that what she was seeing made no sense. Merlin had always had very neat handwriting. Why was he all of sudden struggling to form the words on the paper? Looking closer, Hunith finally received her answer.

For whatever reason, Merlin was using his left hand instead of his right. Curiosity getting the better of her, she asked her son, "Why are you writing with you left hand?"

Merlin looked over at her. "I'm practicing writing with my left hand. Can you take a look at this? I know what it says, but I want to make sure other people can read it as well." With that, he handed Hunith the piece of paper he had been writing on.

Hunith stared at the paper. Little squiggles covered the entire thing. However, no matter how hard she tried, she could not make out was written. Here and there she could recognize a word, but nothing to provide any clue as to what had been written.

She handed the paper back before saying, "I can make out the occasional word, but the rest…not so much."

A slightly disappointed look appeared on Merlin's face, but it did not last long. "That just means I need to practice more."

"Merlin, why do you suddenly have an interest in writing with you left hand?" asked Hunith.

"I had a dream last night that I broke my right hand and wasn't able to do anything. I decided to prevent that by learning to use my left hand," Merlin explained.

"I see," Hunith said.

"But that's not all I'm going to do. What if I lost the use of both of my hands? What would I do then?" Merlin asked. Hunith didn't get a chance to respond. "Most people wouldn't be able to do anything. They would have to depend completely on others."

"If that did happen to you, I would be more than willing to help you, Merlin," Hunith said, smiling slightly.

"No offense, Mother, but you won't be around forever. Once you're gone, I'll be on my own."

Hunith's mouth dropped open. "Merl-"

"Anyway, what do you think about learning to write with your feet? Think about it. They're almost like hands. They have five toes, which resemble fingers, and are capable of holding onto a quill." After saying that, Merlin reached for another piece of paper lying on the table. "I tried it out earlier. I don't think I did too bad for never having tried to write with my foot before." He handed the paper to her.

Once again, Hunith stared at the paper in front of her. The top portion of the paper was covered in indistinguishable marks, while the bottom part had some partially identifiable words. "The bottom part seems more legible than the top."

"You noticed that too? I wrote the top using my right foot and the bottom using my left. I thought it was strange. Apparently I'm right handed but left footed. Who would have guessed?" Muttering to himself about the strangeness of that phenomenon, Merlin went back to his writing practice.

Hunith shook her head. Only her son would think it necessary to learn to write not only with hands, but with his feet as well.

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**What did you think? I'll be honest, I've tried learning to write with my feet before...it's harder than it looks.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't really know where this one came from. I guess you could say it's based off of a conversation I had with my sister. It's not my favorite, but that doesn't really matter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Merlin.**_

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Arthur was sitting at his desk working on some paperwork that his father had given him that morning. As he was working, the door to his chambers opened. He looked up to see Merlin walk through the door. Once again, the man chose not to knock.

Getting up from his desk, Arthur walked over to his table and sat down. Merlin placed the tray of food he was carrying in front of him. Merlin walked off and began picking up the random objects lying around on the floor. Arthur picked up a chicken leg and proceeded to eat it.

He was half way through the plate of food when he was interrupted. "Arthur, something's been bothering me here lately."

"What's that, Merlin?" Arthur asked as he worked his way through a slice of bread.

"Let's say that some random guy appeared during the middle of a council meeting and threw a knife at you. The knife pierces your heart and kills you instantly."

Arthur dropped the slice of bread he was eating. "I don't like where this conversation is going."

Merlin responded, "It's all hypothetical of course. Anyway, when people talk about what happened, they will say that you were assassinated."

"Yes…" said Arthur.

"Now, let's say that I was standing in the room with you as well. After throwing the knife at you and killing you, the random guy throws another knife in my direction, managing to kill me as well," Merlin stated.

"Okay…"

"When people talked about my death, they would say that I had been murdered."

"What's the point to all of this, Merlin?"

"Why is it that you would be considered assassinated, but I would be considered murdered? Both actions result in the same thing, do they not?" Merlin questioned.

"I don't know, Merlin. Why are you even thinking about this? Does it really matter what it's called? Either way, we're both dead. We won't know what term they use, so why should we care?"

Merlin walked over towards Arthur. "I was just curious."

"What even made you think about this in the first place?" questioned Arthur.

Merlin shrugged his shoulders. "We're both always finding ourselves in situations that are close to what I just described. I just figured it's something worth thinking about."

Arthur stared at his manservant. "You have too much time on your hands. That's the problem. Perhaps I should give you some more chores so that you can keep yourself busy?"


	5. Chapter 5

**I only have 7 more days of school left and then I will be free (at least until Summer School starts up). I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's another moment between Merlin and his mother.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Merlin**_**.**

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Hunith was sitting down at the small table in the corner of the room. She was attempting to fix a tear that had appeared in one of Merlin's shirts. As she worked, she found herself not paying attention to what was going on around her.

Something touched her head, causing her to let out a loud yelp of surprise. Quickly turning her head, she saw her young son standing behind her, a look of surprise on his face. "Merlin! You scared me."

"I'm sorry, Mother."

"What were you doing?" Hunith asked.

"I was trying to look at your head," was the boy's reply.

Hunith was confused. That had not been the answer she was expecting. "Why?"

A smile spread across Merlin's face. "I was looking for the eyes in the back of your head."

A laugh escaped Hunith's mouth. "Merlin, I don't have eyes in the back of my head. What would give you that idea?"

"It's the only thing I could come up with to explain how you always know what I'm doing. How else would you explain your ability to know that my shoes were untied even though you weren't looking in my direction? Or how you know that I'm trying to hide those icky vegetables even though you're over by your bed and can't see me?"

Mentally laughing, Hunith tried to come up with an explanation. "I can assure you that it is not because I happen to have an extra pair of eyes. It's because I'm a mother. Mothers always know what their children are doing, no matter where they are."

"Are you sure you don't have eyes in the back of your head? Have you ever looked? If you haven't looked, than you can't know for sure," Merlin told her.

"I can't say I've ever looked," Hunith responded.

"Do you think I could check? Just to make sure?" Merlin asked.

Turning back around in her chair, Hunith said, "Go ahead. Tell me if you can see anything staring back."

Hunith felt her son's hand touch her head. His fingers lifted her hair, exploring her scalp for any signs of eyes. By the time he was finished, Hunith was sure that her hair was a mess. However, she could not bring herself to care about her appearance.

"Did you find anything?" she asked.

"No," was her son's reply. Once again turning around, Hunith saw that her son has a slightly disappointed expression on his face. "Now Will and I will have to figure out another explanation. Hmm…" With that, Merlin walked away.

Hunith just sat in her chair. What would her son think of next?

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**I honestly have no idea how mothers always know what you're doing. It doesn't matter where I am in my house, my mom always knows if I'm doing something wrong. Feel free to tell me what you thought!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry that this is so short, but I've had a long day. Anyway, I hope you still enjoy it :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin_.**

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Gaius walked into his workroom to see his ward sitting at the table. He was staring off into space, fiddling with an object that he held in his hand. Walking further into the room, Gaius went and sat at the table.

"What's that in your hand?" he asked.

He watched as Merlin looked down at his hand. Slowly, the boy brought the object to the table and sat it down. Feeling somewhat surprised, he saw that it was the rabbit's foot he had given Merlin a while back.

"I don't understand these things, Gaius. They're supposed to bring the owner luck, are they not?"

Gaius nodded his head. "That's what I've been told."

"Why do we consider these things lucky though? It obviously wasn't lucky for the rabbit that lost its foot. I wonder who decided to carry it around in the first place. That had to be an interesting conversation. 'Hey, Joe. We have these two dead rabbits right here. Why don't we cut off one of their legs and carry it around with us. I think it might bring us some good luck.'"

Gaius shook his head. "I'm sure there's a story behind it all somewhere, Merlin."

They sat in silence for several more minutes. Eventually, the two finished with their meals. "Do you want me to take the rabbits foot back? If you think it's silly, you don't have to carry it around. I'll understand."

Merlin reached for the foot on the table and picked it up. He then dropped it into his pocket. "Of course I want to keep it. I might think it's weird, but you gave it to me at a time when luck was badly needed. And look where it got us. We're alive, aren't we?"

Smiling, Gaius nodded his head.

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**If anyone has anything they would like to see in this story, please feel free to tell me. I'll be glad to write something as long as I can figure out a way to make it happen!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I need to thank everyone who has reviewed and favorited so far! I love coming home and seeing my inbox bursting with e-mails :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin._**

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Gaius walked into Merlin's room. The boy was sitting on his bed, stacks of books surrounding him. An annoyed expression was displayed on his ward's face. He was muttering to himself, angrily flipping through the various pages of the book in his lap. Slamming the book closed, Merlin threw the book to side, almost hitting Gaius in the process of doing so.

"Merlin, please watch where you throw things!" Gaius said.

Looking surprised, Merlin looked up at Gaius. "Oh! Sorry, Gaius."

"What are you looking for?"

"I'm trying to find a particular spell. Something that would be of great use…if only I could find it," Merlin answered. He began flipping through the pages of another book.

"Perhaps you can tell me what type of spell you are looking for. I might be able to help you."

Without looking up from the book, Merlin replied, "I'm looking for a spell that will allow me to open up a wormhole."

Gaius was confused. He had no idea what Merlin was talking about. Hoping that the conversation did not turn out like their talk about parallel universes, he asked, "What's a wormhole?"

"Well, technically I don't know if they even exist. And the term "wormhole" is just something I've started calling them. I have this theory that you can take shortcuts through space. They're essentially portals to other places. The wormhole acts as a tunnel, providing an entrance in one part of the world and an exit in another. The only problem is finding one…"

Gaius closed his eyes. His ward was at it again. How the man could think of such foolish things was beyond him. "Merlin, why would you even want to use a…wormhole, was it?"

"Do you remember our talk about parallel universes? Imagine being able to actually visit one! Anyway, that's not what we should be focusing on. In theory, these wormholes should be all around us, constantly opening and closing. I'm sure I could find one if I bothered to look around enough and had a bit of luck on my side. That takes time though. I want to be able to open a wormhole whenever I want. Do you have any ideas of a spell that I could use?"

Gaius did not even bother to answer him. Instead, he just turned around, opened the door, and went down the steps. The whole time he was shaking his head. What was he going to do with that boy?

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**This was based off of a prompt from Myth. C. Angel (I hope you liked it). I'd be a very happy author if you all chose to review. Once again, if anyone has any ideas I would be very willing to hear them.**


	8. Chapter 8

**This is short, but I feel that it is better this way. I hope you enjoy it all the same.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Merlin.**_

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Merlin sighed. It was late at night. He should be sleeping, but his mind refused to shut down and let him get the precious sleep he craved so much. His mind had millions of thoughts running through it, each one calling for his attention.

One thought in particular kept coming to the front of his mind. He kept thinking about the concept of infinity and eternity. How was it possible for something to go on forever? It was unsettling.

Gaius told him that numbers continued on forever. No matter how high you counted or how long, there would always be more numbers. You could spend every waking moment of your life counting and never reach the end.

The concept of infinity could even be applied to every day decisions. He might not realize it, but every time he made a choice, he was choosing from an infinite number of options.

Crossing his arms behind his head, Merlin stared up at the ceiling. Slowly, he started counting. _One…two…three…_His eyes began to grow heavy. _Six…seven…eight…_His eyes began to close. _Nine…ten…_His breathing became deep and even. The sleep he had been craving had finally come.

As he slept, he dreamed an infinite number of dreams.

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**Happy ****Mother's Day to everyone! Also, happy AP Bio Test Day Eve.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I have my AP Gov test tomorrow. Should be loads of fun...Anyway. Kushina98 asked for something with Gwen in it and this popped into my head. I hope you all enjoy this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin_.**

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Gwen dipped the white cloth into the water once again. Slowly, she rung out the rag and then placed it back onto Merlin's forehead. He had been sick for the past few days, struggling with a fever. Gaius had to go and attend to his usual rounds, so she had been asked to take his place at Merlin's bedside.

She was slightly worried about her friend. Merlin had never really been sick before. This was the first time her friend had ever really been sick since arriving at Camelot (as long as one did not count him getting poisoned at that one banquet).

A little while later, she looked down to see that Merlin was finally waking up. She quickly ran and cut a cup of water, knowing that her friend would be thirsty. Coming back over, she helped Merlin to sit up slightly and take a sip. He managed to swallow some of the water, but he soon erupted into a fit of coughing.

Attempting to make her friend feel slightly better, she said, "If you're not careful you're going to cough up a lung."

Merlin's coughing fit eventually ended. He lay back on his bed. A smile appeared on his face. He let out a quiet chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Gwen asked, slightly confused about her friend's reaction.

In a quiet voice, Merlin replied, "Have you ever really thought about that expression? 'You're going to cough up a lung.' Imagine what would actually happen if someone were to do that."

A slightly disgusted expression spread across Gwen's face. "Let's hope that never happens. That would be terrible."

"It would have to be a very uncomfortable feeling. Lungs aren't meant to be forced outside of your body. Although, if someone managed to do so, they would become famous, I'm sure," Merlin said.

Trying to turn the topic of conversation to another topic, Gwen asked, "How are you feeling now? You've been out of it for a while now."

Gwen sighed when her friend ignored her question. "What do you think the lung would look like? I've always pictured them being a kind of pale pink color. What do you think it would feel like? Do you think it would be slimy? Do you think it would smell? I can't picture a lung smelling nice."

Gwen noticed that as her friend spoke, his eyes were slowly closing. She was not given the opportunity to answer Merlin's strange questions before he fell asleep. To herself, she said, "It must be the fever talking. No one would ask such questions if they were in their right frame of mind."

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**Thoughts?**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'll be honest with you all. My mind is somewhat shot after spending two days taking my AP tests. I hope that this chapter turned out at least somewhat okay.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Merlin**_**.**

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Merlin was bored. He and Arthur were stuck in a cave because it was raining outside. The cave was small, so he and Arthur were forced to sit on the ground. To pass the time, he had tried humming to himself, but a death glare from Arthur has soon ended that form of entertainment.

Sitting in silence, a sudden question popped into his mind. "Arthur, what do you think you would do if you had another leg?"

Arthur sighed and turned his head towards Merlin. "Merlin, where on earth did that question even come from?"

"I don't really know. It just popped into my head."

"I don't know what I would do. Probably have Gaius get rid of it for me. What would I do with an extra leg?" Arthur said.

"That's a little drastic, don't you think? I'm sure there are plenty of things that having an extra leg would be useful," replied Merlin.

"Name one thing," said Arthur.

Merlin thought for a moment. "Well, suppose you're forced to stand for a long period of time. One of your legs becomes tired. You have a spare leg to stand on."

Arthur just blinked in response to his idea. "That is crazy. Besides, you would have to get special clothes made."

"You already have that done for you. Why would this be any different?" questioned Merlin.

"Merlin, I would look ridiculous if I had three legs. I'm a prince, and princes never look ridiculous. Furthermore, pants with three pant legs would be very hard to make, I'm sure."

"Well, what if-" Merlin began.

"Merlin, _shut up_. I don't want to spend my time talking about the possibility of having a third leg. I want to sit in silence and wait for this blasted rain to stop."

Merlin let a slightly hurt look appear on his face. He did not think his question was that bad. All he had been trying to do was pass the time with conversation. Oh well. Perhaps he would go and find Gwaine when they returned to Camelot. Something told him Gwaine would appreciate the random questions that entered his mind.

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**I would really like to do one of these with Gwaine. However, I'm having a hard time coming up with an idea to use. Does anyone have any suggestions that they would like to see?**


	11. Chapter 11

**This was based somewhat off of a Big Bang Theory episode I watched. I hope you all enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Merlin**_**.**

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Gaius glanced up at the door leading to his ward's room. If Merlin did not hurry, he would be late attending to the prince. After waiting another couple of minutes, Gaius got up from his chair and walked up the short flight of stairs to Merlin's room. He banged his fist on the door, hollering, "Merlin, you need to get up! You're going to be late!"

When Merlin still did not answer, he tried to open the door. To his surprise, he found that the door did not open. "That boy," Gaius muttered. He banged on the door even harder. "Merlin! Open up this door!"

From the other side, Merlin finally answered his call. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Gaius."

"Why not?" asked Gaius.

"After a lot of late night thinking, I've decided to lock myself in my room to keep myself out of danger."

For a moment, Gaius stared at the door in front of him. Surely he did not just hear what he thought he heard. "How would locking yourself in your room keep you from harm?"

"Have you never noticed that I end up getting hurt every time I set foot outside of my room? If I leave my room, I'm creating all kinds of dangerous situations for myself," explained Merlin.

Gaius thought for a moment, trying to come up with a reply. "I think you're over reacting, Merlin."

"You really think so? Think about it this way. Every time Arthur and I leave this castle, we are faced with bandits, witches, evil sorcerers, slavers, and tavern fights. Never once have we managed to have a safe journey. My life is constantly being put into danger. I've been used as a human target. I've been poisoned. My life is one big death trap! I'm tired of it!" Merlin exclaimed.

"So your solution to this problem is to not just go on with life, but to lock yourself in your room? Merlin, are you forgetting that you have a job? You also have a destiny to fulfill. How are you going to do all of that if you are hiding in your room?" questioned Gaius.

"I thought of all that last night. I spoke with George, and he said he would happily attend to Arthur from here on out. I also contacted Kilgharrah. He wasn't very happy with my choice, but there's not much he can do to stop me," was Merlin's reply.

Gaius raised his eyes towards the heavens. He was getting too old to deal with these crazy young people. He was going to have to figure out a way to get Merlin out of his room. Slowly, a smile appeared on his face. "Merlin, how were you planning on eating? All of the food is located on my side of the door."

Gaius did not hear anything from the other side of the door. Then he suddenly heard the sound of heavy objects being moved. Merlin soon stood in the doorway. "The thought of food never entered my mind when I was thinking about all of this last night."

Shaking his head, Gaius walked away.


	12. Chapter 12

**This was written for Aldryne21. She requested a scene between Merlin and Gwaine.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Merlin **_**or some of the lines in this chapter. Two of the lines are from the wonderful Aldryne21. Enjoy!**

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Gwaine walked down the corridor. As he walked, he whistled a lively tune that he heard last night at the tavern. Turning his head to the left, he noticed that the door to the armory was open. Deciding to see if any of his friends were within, he entered the room.

To his delight, he saw Merlin seated at a table, various pieces of armor spread out before him. Currently, Merlin held a sword in his hands and was sharpening it. Deciding that he should not scare his friend, Gwaine walked towards the table and sat across from him.

"Merlin! What are you doing in here on such a bright, sunny day?" asked Gwaine.

Merlin looked towards him. "Arthur's given me a whole list of chores to complete, as usual."

"Well, I'll just have to keep you company," said Gwaine.

Merlin stopped polishing the sword for a moment. "Aren't you supposed to be training? It is one of the things you're supposed to be doing as a knight."

A smile spread across Gwaine's face. He put his fingers to his lips and made a shushing sound. "What the princess doesn't know won't hurt him." Merlin just shook his head.

The two sat in a companionable silence for a while. Eventually, Merlin broke the silence. "Gwaine, have you ever thought about what makes something a certain thing?"

"What do you mean?" questioned Gwaine.

"Well, how would you define a tavern?" Merlin asked.

"A place that serves the most amazing drink in the world: alcohol."

"So is a tavern still a tavern if it doesn't serve beer?" asked Merlin.

Gwaine raised an eyebrow at the question. "What good is a place that calls itself a tavern if it doesn't serve beer?"

Merlin asked another question. "Is Arthur's room still Arthur's room when he's not there?"

"I would assume so…" said Gwaine.

"Is a book without pages still a book? Is a turtle still a turtle if it has no shell? We assign all of these characteristics to places, things, and people. If a major characteristic was taken away, would we still consider it to be the same object?"

Gwaine blinked in surprise at Merlin's thoughts. He had no idea his friend thought about such things as these. As he continued to think, a huge smile spread across his face. He had just had a really good thought. If Merlin was like this when he was sober, imagine what he would be like if he was drunk out of his mind. The conversations they could have!

Getting up, Gwaine walked around the table and grabbed Merlin by his scarf. "What are you doing, Gwaine?" Merlin yelled as he was half dragged out of the room.

"We're going to finish our conversation in a place that will help get our minds working. We're going to the tavern! One that has plenty of beer for us to drink." With that being said, the two went off towards the tavern and continued their conversation long into the night.

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**I would also like to thank everyone for reviewing this story. I have 39 reviews right now, which is the most I've ever received! You'll are amazing :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**Only a day and a half left of school. I can't wait for the year to be over with. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin_.**

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Gaius was tired. His day had been a very long one. All he wanted to do was sit down in a chair, eat supper, and go to bed. With that thought in mind, he opened the door to his chambers. As soon as he walked in, he was met with a curious sight.

Merlin was standing at the work table, a look of intense concentration on his face. He was staring intently at the box sitting in front of him. As he watched, he saw the box move slightly.

"Merlin, why are you staring at a box?" questioned Gaius.

Merlin turned his head to look at Gaius and then quickly turned it back. "I'm watching this box," was his reply.

Gaius stared at his young ward. "What's in the box?"

"A cat. Or at least I'm assuming it's a cat. I can't really say for sure," responded Merlin.

Now Gaius was confused. "You're staring at a box that may or may not contain a cat? Why?"

"Well, it contained a cat at one point. I put a cat inside the box about an hour ago. Now I'm watching the box and trying to determine if the cat is still in there, and if so, whether or not it is still alive."

Gaius slowly walked over to the table. He came and stood right beside Merlin. He stared at the box as well. "Did you take the cat out?"

"No."

"Then I think you can assume that the cat is still inside," was the conclusion that Gaius reached.

"That's what I was thinking! Now, do you think the cat is dead or alive?"

"Umm…alive?" Gaius responded.

"I guess that's a logical conclusion as well. But we won't really know until we open the box again," said Merlin.

"Merlin, I'm pretty sure the cat is still alive. I saw the box moving earlier when I first walked in."

Merlin turned to look at him. "You can't just assume that the cat is dead. While the box is closed, we do not know if the cat is living or dead. We can't even safely assume that the cat is even in the box! Just think about it for a minute. There is a slight chance that the cat is dead or no longer in the box, right?"

"I suppose there is a very small chance of that being the case," Gaius said.

"I say we open the box to find out," Merlin said excitedly.

Nodding his head, Gaius moved over to the side to allow Merlin easier access to the box. He leaned in to have a closer look as Merlin took off the box's lid.

Suddenly, a big ball of black fur launched itself at Gaius' head. Gaius yelled as a set of claws dug into his head. He grabbed onto the cat to try and pry it off, but the blasted thing refused to come off.

From somewhere behind, he heard Merlin say, "Look on the bright side, Gaius. At least we know for sure that the cat was still alive and in the box!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Unless I'm going crazy (and it's entirely possible) someone gave me the idea for chapter. However, I cannot find the e-mail that the idea was found in. If this looks like something you requested, please tell me and I will give you credit in the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Merlin**_**.**

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Percival was taking a walk through the forest. He had been walking for well over an hour and was starting to feel slightly tired. He began looking for a place to rest. Finally, he came across what looked to be the perfect clearing.

He had just settled himself down on the ground, when he heard someone call his name. "Percival, I didn't expect to see you here. Normally I'm the only one who ventures out this far into the woods."

Percival turned his head with the intent to respond to Merlin's greeting. However, his response never made it passed his lips. He was too shocked by what he was seeing. Standing before him was Merlin, but with something strange strapped to his body. Whatever it was, it looked to be brown and feathery. Studying the man more closely, he realized what Merlin was wearing.

"Merlin, do you have wings attached to your arms and back?" asked Percival.

Merlin glanced at his arms, a small smile crossing his face. "Yep. I've been working on them for a while. I would have had them finished sooner, but Arthur and Gaius have been keeping me busy."

Percival stared at Merlin. What could the man possibly be up to? "Umm…what are you planning on doing with those…wings?"

"Well, I'm going to attempt to fly," responded Merlin.

"Fly? Where did you get that idea from?"

A slightly embarrassed look appeared on Merlin's face. "A while back, Gwaine and I were at the tavern. We got to talking about whether or not it would be possible for people to fly. The idea sort of stuck with me, so I decided to try and test it out. That's why I'm out here today."

"You can't be serious. You're going to test out an idea that Gwaine helped you come up with…while you were at the tavern? Do you really think that's a smart idea?" questioned the knight.

"I don't see why it won't work. Birds fly. Why can't humans?"

Percival pointed out, "You do realize that birds are born with wings. Humans aren't. We have arms, birds have wings."

An annoyed look appeared on Merlin's face. "Look, this is why I didn't want to tell anyone about my idea. You all think I'm completely insane. I'll show you. Humans will be able to fly one day! If these wings fail, I'll try something else until I come across the right idea." With that being said, Merlin walked away from Percival.

Percival watched him leave. It looked like the man was headed for the large hill in the distance. If he hurried, he would be able to run and fetch Gaius or Arthur. Maybe both would be better.

Turning around, Percival shook his head. As if humans would ever be able to fly. The idea was truly preposterous!


	15. Chapter 15

**Here's another chapter for you all! I just want to say that this story has received 51 reviews and I'm very happy about that! To celebrate, I'm giving a slightly longer update. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Merlin**_**.**

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Arthur had finally finished with the council meeting. He was in the mood to go for a ride, but he first needed to chase down his manservant. He searched the various corridors of the castle, trying to find Merlin, but he was having very little luck.

His search eventually brought him to an unused portion of the castle. He did not think he would find his manservant there, but he figured he would give it a try anyway. As he walked, he noticed that a strange sound was coming from one of the rooms. Arthur decided to go and investigate.

He approached the door with caution, not sure of what he would actually find when he entered through the slightly open door. He slowly nudged the door open and stepped inside. However, what he saw was not what he expected.

The room was slightly chaotic. Straw covered the floor. Pillow feathers littered the ground. Several goats were over by the window, casually chewing on the curtains. Perhaps the most worrying thing about the whole situation was that Merlin was standing there in the middle of the room and doing nothing.

"Merlin! What are you doing? You can't just let goats go around destroying everything in a room! My father will be furious if he finds out," Arthur yelled as he walked over to one of the goats. He then proceeded to try and yank the curtain out of the goats mouth, but he was failing.

"They're not doing anything Arthur. They're just trying to have a little fun. Besides, they're hungry. I haven't got a chance to feed them yet," Merlin replied.

"What do you mean you haven't got the chance to feed them? You put them here? What gave you the idea that you could use chambers with the castle to house your goats? Get them out of here!" Arthur exclaimed.

Merlin looked over at Arthur. "I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, I promised everyone that the petting zoo would be-"

Arthur stopped Merlin before he could complete his explanation. "Petting zoo? What petting zoo? Camelot doesn't even have a petting zoo!"

"That was before today. I've been working all morning trying to find rooms for the different types of animals and spreading the word about the grand opening. I'm almost done now. I just have to figure out how to allow people to pet the dragon without Kilgharrah getting mad."

Arthur stared at his manservant. Had he really just said what he thought he did? "Did you say dragon? Where on earth did you find a dragon? You know what, never mind. Just get these animals out of the castle. You cannot open up a petting zoo in here!"

A slightly wounded expression appeared on Merlin's face. "But Arthur, there are a lot of little children looking forward to this! You don't want to ruin their dream of petting a dragon, do you?"

Shaking his head, Arthur began to walk towards the door. "I don't care. Get this room cleaned up and these animals out of here!"

Right as he was about to exit the room, the door slammed open. Gwaine came running into the room, arms full of straw. "Merlin, I finally found that extra straw you needed. It took me forever to convince the stable hands to give it to me. They're very attached to their straw apparently."

"Gwaine, you're involved in this petting zoo nonsense as well?" Arthur asked.

Gwaine turned around and gave him a large smile. "Yep! But I can't take credit for the idea. Merlin came up with it the last time we were at the tavern together. Isn't it brilliant?"

Arthur did not even bother to respond. He walked quickly to the door and exited the room. He would have to find some people to help get this mess cleaned up. Once that was done, he was going to make sure that Merlin was not given a chance to go to the tavern for a _very _long time.

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**Guess what? I only have Monday and a half day on Tuesday left of school! Yeah! Also, if you have any request, feel free to tell me.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I received a request from someone asking me to expand this beyond Merlin's thoughts. This chapter is all about Arthur. I wrote it at school today during one of the finals that I got skip.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Merlin**_**.**

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Arthur hated feasts. To him, they were incredibly boring. Every feast was the same. A bunch of people he did not know the names of gathered together in a giant room. His father would deliver a long speech that no one would ever remember. The food would be served and he would eat more than what was good for him. People would attempt to make conversation with him and he would try and maintain a look of interest. Really, the only good part of any feast was being able to drink as much as he wanted.

Part of being the crown prince of Camelot was that he was able to pretend he was interested in whatever was going around him. For instance, he was currently pretending that he cared about the price of wheat that the lord sitting next to him was babbling on about. In reality, his mind was far away.

Morgana's dress had caught his attention. The thing was red and extremely long. Can that dress really be comfortable to wear? How does she even get into it? Her waist would have to be the size of my arm to even get in the dress. What had Morgana told him when they were little? It had been something about having to wear a corset. Whatever it was, it did not sound comfortable to him at all.

What about all of that excess material? When she walked, her gown trailed along on the ground. How could she even walk without stepping on the hem of the dress and falling to the ground? And those shoes! Walking could not be any easier when you were wearing shoes that had a three inch heels on them. Her feet must be killing her.

"Give me a simple tunic and trousers any day," Arthur muttered to himself. For a moment, he was confused by the expression on the face of the noble next to him. Then he realized that he had said his thoughts out loud. He chose to ignore the awkward situation and went back to his thoughts.

His gaze drifted over towards the girl standing behind Morgana's chair. Arthur smiled as the sight of Gwen. He looked at the dress she was wearing. It was his favorite lavender dress. Now, that dress was nice and simple. It looked comfortable, too. Why couldn't Morgana wear something like that?

He felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Merlin standing next to him. "You might want to stop staring at Gwen. You're beginning to drool." Before Arthur could say anything, Merlin disappeared.

Arthur wiped his hand across his mouth. To his embarrassment, the hand came away slightly wet.

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**As always, please tell me what you thought. I'm always open to suggestions. **


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but I'm posting it anyway. Anyway, today was the last day of my junior year! Now I can enjoy my summer.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin._**

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Training required very little effort for Arthur. For the most part, he did not have to put much thought into what he was doing. Instead, his body just reacted to whatever was needed. Because of that, Arthur's mind was free to roam during the training sessions.

He was working with one of the newer knights. Behind him and his partner, Gwaine and Percival were sparring together. He watched their fight. He was very happy with their progress.

However, there was something about Percival that had always bothered him. It was not the fact that the knight never seemed to say much. It had nothing to do with the man's fighting style. It was the man's choice of wardrobe.

Now, he knew that Percival was not from Camelot originally, but that did not really explain anything. Why would someone choose to not have any sleeves on their chainmail? It just seemed ridiculous to him to not have your arms protected.

Maybe he likes showing off his muscles. That couldn't be the reason, though. Percival was not the type to show off at all. Maybe he could not find any chainmail that fit properly. That was a possibility. The knight did have unusually muscular arms. Maybe he should offer to have some new chainmail with sleeves made for the man. Perhaps he would ask after they were finished training for the day.

Arthur was knocked out of his musings by a blow to the side of the head. He had been lost in his thoughts so much that he had failed to see the strike coming from his opponent. The blow caused him to topple to the ground. He landed with a thud. He heard the sounds of laughter coming Gwaine.

Blinking his eyes, Arthur thought that he might want to pay a tad bit more attention the next time he was training.


	18. Chapter 18

**I'm sorry for not updating yesterday, but I had a busy day with my church youth group. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.**

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Arthur was eating his breakfast at the table. Merlin was pretending to clean his chambers. In reality he was just shifting the already existent dirt around. As he watched, Arthur suddenly got an idea.

"Merlin, I think you should grow a beard."

Merlin stopped what he was doing and turned to look at the prince. "Why would I want to do that? I don't have a beard now. I don't plan on having one in the future."

"I think you should grow one. I feel like it would fit your personality," Arthur explained.

Merlin shook his head in response. "I'm not going to grow a beard. It would be itchy and something else for me to take care of."

Arthur sighed dramatically. "Fine. If you don't want to grow a beard, why don't you start wearing a hat?"

"What's with all of these suggestions all of a sudden? I don't own a hat, Arthur. I have no use for hats," Merlin said.

"Come on, Merlin. You could get a tall, pointy hat. One that's dark blue."

"I suppose the hat should also have stars decorating it as well?" asked Merlin, a bit sarcastically.

"That's a great idea! So, will you start wearing a hat?" asked Arthur once again.

Merlin's response was simple. "No."

"Well then, how about you get some new clothes? The ones you are wearing right now are a little…tattered. Why don't you get a set of dark blue robes?"

"Arthur, for the last time. I don't want to buy new clothes. I don't want to start wearing a pointy hat. I don't want to grow a beard. Leave me alone," Merlin said, his voice conveying his annoyance towards the prince.

Arthur returned his attention to his meal. If Merlin did not want his advice, than that was fine. He would not be able to force Merlin into growing a beard. However, there was a feast coming up next month. Getting up from the table, he left his chambers and headed out towards the lower town. He had a special request to make to a certain seamstress.

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**This story has received 59 reviews! I'm so happy :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry for not updating in a while. I've been a tad bit busy. It's not the best chapter in the world, but at least it's an update.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Merlin**_**.**

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Elyan sat on the steps leading into the castle. His elbows rested on his knees and his head was in his hands. His day had been going terrible. All he wanted was for the day to come to an end and a new day to begin.

In the distance, he heard the sound of whistling. The whistling steadily became closer and closer, but Elyan chose not to lift his head to see who it was. The whistling was happy sounding, and it was getting on his nerves.

He heard the sound of someone setting down next to him. "Something wrong, Elyan?"

Finally lifting his head up, Elyan looked over at Merlin. "I'm just feeling a little blue is all. My day hasn't been the best."

"Feeling blue? Hmm…do you find it weird that we associate different colors with different emotions? I wonder why we do that. Anyway, what's been so bad about your day?" asked Merlin.

Sighing, Elyan answered, "Well, Gwen and I got into an argument this morn-" but he was cut off by Merlin.

"So you were feeling with red with rage?"

"I guess you could say that. I never get to see her anymore. She's always spending time with Arthur. I might have accused her of abandoning her family," explained Elyan.

"I think I see. You were feeling a tad bit green with envy. Anything else happen?"

"Training was terrible today. I kept making a bunch of mistakes and Arthur was getting frustrated with me."

Merlin let out a small snicker. "I know how that feels. Trust me. However, it doesn't sound like your day was terrible. Arthur's always grumpy, so don't be upset if he acts that way. As for your argument with Gwen, you'll move past it."

Elyan sighed. "I guess." The two sat in silence for a while, both quietly thinking their own thoughts. "Merlin, why did you keep mentioning colors earlier?"

"I was just seeing how many emotions could be connected to colors. It's kind of strange that we do that. I mean, feeling blue? Red with rage? Green with envy? Hmm…I should assign a color to Arthur's pratishness. Any suggestions?"

Elyan thought for a minute. "How about mauve?"

"That could work," Merlin replied.

"What are you two up to?" The voice of Arthur caused Merlin and Elyan to both be startled.

Merlin turned towards Arthur. Sending a smile towards Elyan, Merlin said, "Hello, Arthur. You're looking mauve with pratishness today."

A confused look appeared on Arthur's face. Elyan smiled at the sight. His day was slowly getting better.


	20. Chapter 20

**It's 12:12 AM. I'm finally getting around to updating this story. Sorry about not updating that much. Anyway, fanfiction has certainly changed its appearance, hasn't it? I do enjoy seeing the pictures people put with their stories.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.**

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Merlin burst through the doors of Arthur's chambers, not bothering to knock before doing so. He entered the room, a tray heaped with food in his hands. He walked over to the table and set the prince's lunch down on it.

He heard the sound of Arthur's voice coming from the direction of his bed. Curious, Merlin made his way over to see who the prince was talking to. It turned out that Arthur was talking to himself.

The prince was staring intently at two shirts lying on his bed. He was muttering to himself while doing so. Merlin walked closer and was able to make out what the prince was saying.

"I just don't know. The blue shirt is all soft and comfortable. But the other one is red, and that's my favorite color. Hmm…" Arthur's voice trailed off.

"Trying to decide which shirt to wear for the feast tonight?" Merlin inquired.

Arthur nodded his head. "I can't decide if I should wear my blue shirt or my red shirt."

"I have an idea that might help," Merlin said.

Arthur turned to face his manservant. "What do you have in mind?"

"I came up with this when I was younger. My mother and I use to use it when we had to decide between things. Here's how it works. We both take our right hands and form them into fists. Then, on the count of three, we both choose one of three items to represent with our hands. You can choose between a piece of paper, a rock, or scissors." Merlin quickly demonstrated what each of the items looked like with his hand. "Rock beat scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock. Got it?"

Arthur gave Merlin a strange look. "You really expect me to choose what shirt I'll be wearing to the feast tonight based on a silly game?"

Merlin let out a sigh. "Just try it. I know it sounds silly, but it helps when you can't make your own decisions. Now, which shirt would you like to represent?"

Shaking his head, the prince said, "Red I suppose."

"I'll be blue then. If I win, then you'll wear the blue shirt. If you win, you'll wear the red shirt. Let's do this."

Both Merlin and Arthur held their right fists next to each other. "On the count of three. One. Two. Three!" Both Arthur and Merlin made a shape with their hands. Merlin held his hand out flat, representing a piece of paper. Arthur had two fingers extended, representing scissors.

"I won! I knew the red shirt was the right choice. The blue shirt would have been a terrible decision. I don't know why I even considered it." With that being said, Arthur grabbed the red shirt and walked behind his changing screen. He quickly changed into the shirt. When he walked back out, he looked to Merlin and said, "Not all of your ideas are completely insane I suppose."

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**I hoped you enjoyed this :D**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello, Everyone! Happy Wednesday. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Quick question to all of you. Just something I'm curious about. What was the very first episode of _Merlin_ you ever saw? Mine was "Lancelot."**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Merlin_.**

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Arthur was lying on his bed, face down. He let a groan escape from his throat when a flood of sunlight entered his room. He pushed himself up off of his bed and turned to glare at his manservant. Merlin, being the overly cheerful person that he was, just smiled and gestured a hand towards the table.

He walked over to the table and set himself down. His stomach let out a loud rumble at the sight of the food laid out before him. He picked up a piece of bread and began eating. As he ate, he began rambling off a list of chores to Merlin. "I need you to clean my chambers today. They're an absolute mess. My armor needs to be polished, me sword needs sharpening, my dogs need to be fed, the stables need to be mucked out, I need you to bring my laundry do-" Arthur stopped talking. Something was wrong. Merlin was not complaining. Merlin always complained when he was given chores.

Arthur eyed man as he set out Arthur's clothes for the day. Something definitely was a little off with his friend this morning. "Merlin," Arthur said. The man did not show any sign of having heard him. Feeling slightly irritated, Arthur said once again, "Merlin!" Still, there was no response from the man.

Getting up from his table, Arthur marched over to wear his servant was getting ready to make the bed. He placed his hand on Merlin's shoulder and spun him around. A look of surprise appeared on his friend's face.

"Merlin, why aren't you answering me this morning? Are your ears stuffed with cotton or something?" He turned Merlin's face and pretended to check his ears for cotton. However, he was surprised but what he saw. There, stuffed into his servant's ear, was a wad of cotton.

Arthur stared at the man in front of him. Merlin slowly reached up and unplugged his ears, looking slightly sheepish. Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you care to explain why you decided to plug your ears with cotton this morning?"

"Well, I was doing an…experiment…of sorts," was Merlin's reply.

Arthur chose not to respond. "I was wondering what it would be like to be deprived of one of my senses for a length of time. Think about. We both have no problems seeing or hearing, unless it's selective. Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like to not be able to hear what was going on around you?"

"No. I can't say I have," Arthur replied.

"Let me tell you, it's not that fun. I accidently ate some of Gaius' mashed up frog guts this morning because I didn't hear the warning he gave me! It was disgusting! However, it was nice not being able to hear all your normal grumbling and complaining this morning." A smile spread across Merlin's face as he spoke.

Arthur shook his head and sighed. "I suppose I should be happy that you decided to take away your hearing instead of your sight. God only knows what would have happened then."

"Actually, Gaius forbid me from taking away my sight after what happened last night. I was experimenting with the whole loss of sight thing when I might have accidently knocked over the potion he working on. It kind of made the material of his robe to disintegrate."

A laugh escaped from Arthur's lips. "Well that's settled then. I hereby forbid you from ever losing your hearing or your sight. You would be a menace to society."

"Hey!" Merlin cried indignantly.

Arthur just ignored him.

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**Like I said earlier, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I would appreciate it if you chose to leave a review (I can't believe that this has received 70 reviews!).**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello! This chapter was inspired by the very hot weather that my town has been having. I hope you all enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Merlin.**_

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Arthur was sweating. It was unbearably hot outside, but there was not much he could do about it. He had training after all. Using his shirt sleeve, he wiped off the sweat forming on his brow once again. He then picked his sword back up and walked back over to his knights. It was his turn to spar with Sir Leon.

Vaguely, Arthur wondered where his manservant had run off to. It was not fair that Arthur had to suffer outside in the heat. Merlin should have to share in his suffering as well. Shaking his head, Arthur focused on the man before him. Leon looked just as hot and tired as he did. Hopefully their match did not last too long.

Their match only took a few minutes. Neither Arthur nor Leon were putting their full effort into it. In just a few short minutes, Arthur had managed to knock Leon's sword to the ground.

"Let's call it a day. It's too hot to be out here," Arthur told his fellow knights. A happy cheer went up from all the men. Turning towards the castle, Arthur noticed that Merlin had finally managed to make an appearance. He was happy to see that his servant was holding water skin in his hands. Rushing over, Arthur grabbed it from his friend and gulped down a large portion.

Arthur handed the water skin back to Merlin. As he did so, he noticed that there was not a trace of sweat on Merlin. In Arthur's mind, that was completely unfair. He looked closer at his manservant. For one thing, his scarf was gone. He was not wearing his jacket either. Letting his gaze travel down further, Arthur noticed a rather curious sight.

"Merlin, care to explain why your pants are a tad bit…short?" For some reason his servant was wearing a pair of pants that barely reached down to his knees.

"Aren't they great?" Merlin exclaimed. "I made them this morning. When I woke up, it was extremely hot, so I decided to do something about it. Obviously, I couldn't change the weather, but I could do something about my clothes. At first I had just discarded my scarf and jacket, but I realized that didn't help all that much. So I decided to cut off the legs of one of my old pairs of pants. I call them short pants."

Arthur gave Merlin a look that clearly said his friend was nuts. "You look ridiculous."

Merlin let out an offended huff. "At least I'm not sweating like a pig. Who cares what I look like as long as I'm comfortable?"

Arthur shook his head. It was too hot to deal with this. "Whatever. I'm going back to the castle so that I can change." With that being said, he began making his way back towards the castle.

As he walked along, he received a very big shock. The majority of the castle's servants were all wearing pants that had been cut off just above the knees. Merlin, apparently, had started a new fashion trend for the castle staff.

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**Feel free to leave a review :D**


	23. Chapter 23

**I need to thank all of you for the wonderful reviews I received last chapter! They all made me very happy. I also had quite a few people put me on author and story alert as well as add this story to their favorites.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Merlin.**_

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Percival had a secret. No one, not even Lancelot, the knight who had known him the longest, knew his secret. You see, he had always wanted his very own pet. He had wanted one ever since he was a small child. However, his father would never let him have his own.

When he was a child, he used to dream about the type of pet he would own. At first, he had wanted to have his very own duck. He loved to watch the way they walked. He liked to listen to the quacking sounds that they made. He like watching the ducks swim in the lake that was close to his house.

As he grew older, his interest switched to a different kind of animal. For a while, he had entertained the thought of owning an otter. He had seen one when he and his father were out traveling. He liked watching them swim on their backs. He thought it would be fun to have such an active and playful pet as his own.

By the time he was in his late teens, his interest had once again changed. He had been out on his own when he had seen a beaver. He had watched as the animal had built a dam. Percival had been amazed by the creature's skill. When the animal had become startled, he had watched as it slapped its tail against the ground, alerting its fellow beavers of the possible danger.

When Percival had joined Arthur and his other knights, he had given up on ever owning a pet of his own. That was why he took the opportunity when it presented itself. Arthur had sent him to deliver a message to some lord. He had been on his way home when he had spotted a marvelous creature.

It had been sitting in the stream that he had stopped at. It was highly unusual looking, but that was not what had grabbed Percival's attention. The creature had been the perfect combination of every creature he had ever wanted as his pet. It had the bill and webbed feet of a duck, the tail of a beaver, and the body and fur of an otter. In Percival's eyes, the creature was perfect.

Without thinking, he had snatched the creature and taken it back to Camelot with him. When he had arrived back at the castle, he managed to sneak the creature into his chambers without anyone seeing it. From that point on, he was forced to keep the creature away from the eyes of the servants and his fellow knights.

Percival did not really have a reason for keeping his pet a secret. Maybe it was the fact he did not want to share Gregory, the pet he had waited so long to have, with anyone. Whatever the reason, Percival was just happy to finally have a pet.

* * *

**I'm aware that Percival would not have a way to run into a platypus, but Percival deserves to have one. I'll admit that I've always wanted to own my own platypus (I'm a little obsessed with them).**


End file.
